Phil Stilton

BERKELEY-After Hurricane Sandy devastated large sections of Ocean County and neighborhoods in Berkeley Township, many felt they weren’t given proper treatment by FEMA.  Now, Mayor Carmen Amato said time is running out to have your claim re-examined.

“Since Superstorm Sandy hit our township, we have been dealing with its aftermath,” Amato said.  “Homeowners, at no fault of their own, have to deal with FEMA, insurance companies and other agencies to try to obtain funding to rebuild. I speak to residents on a daily basis and understand they are frustrated and suffering from Sandy fatigue from the endless paperwork and phone calls.”

FEMA would not confirm allegations of wrongdoing to Ocean County residents after Sandy, but did say, “There have been allegations that some policyholders were underpaid for their Hurricane Sandy claims and that the claims process was not effective. FEMA wants to make sure policyholders who filed Sandy claims are paid what they are owed under their policy,” in a statement.

You must request a review no later than Sept. 15, 2015.

To re-open and review your claim, call toll-free 866-337-4262.  A call center representative will ask you some questions to verify that you qualify for a review of your claim.

“The procedure for processing claims has been flawed. I am encouraging all residents to file,” Amato said.  “I want to thank Senator Menendez, Congressman MacArthur and George Kasimos, of Stop-FEMA-Now, for their efforts.”

Amato also thank U.S. Congressman Tom MacArthur for his efforts in Congress to represent Ocean County’s Sandy survivors.

Photo by Phil Stilton

by Phil Stilton

JACKSON-Ocean County’s engineering department is waiting for JCP&L and other utilities to relocate utility poles and lines before the county can finally complete a multi-year project to repave the entire length of East Veterans Highway.    The project to repave and add various safety improvements along the stretch of road between Sienna Drive and Whitesville Road is expected to be completed by December.

Aside from repaving the road surface, Ocean County Engineer Frank Scarantino said the county will improve shoulders and drainage issues over the next three months.

CJ Hesse has been awarded the contract for the work at the price of  $2,984,941.00.   The company was the lowest qualified bidder, approved by the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders in February.

“Once the utilities are moved, we will come right in and finish,” Scarantino said. “We can have our part of the project done 60 days later once they start.”

The project was part of an overall project that saw the road paved between Cross Street and Whitesville Road, with traffic improvements at both Whitesville Road and Hope Chapel Road and safety improvements at the western end of the road.

Near the Jackson Little League fields, towards Bennett’s Mills Road, the county softened or widened the arc at the dangerous curve that was host to several fatalities in the past and added numerous other safety improvements including speed indicators and light at the intersection of Grand Boulevard and Butterfly Road.

Signs warning of construction were placed along the road this week near the Bunker Hill Bogs wildlife management area where the telephone poles will be moved further from the road.

The project, which was in the planning stages for many years, but was given priority in 2011, after a deadly year in 2009 when fatalities along the road reached an all-time yearly high.   Fatalities have dropped dramatically since the project began.

Seaside Heights beaches will remain open daily through close of business on Sunday, September 13th, and will also be open the following two weekends – September 19th & 20th and September 26th & 27th. Beach ramp access points and swimming areas will be determined based on our available personnel.  Some beach ramps may not be open.  Swimming is permitted only when lifeguards are on duty and only in the designated swimming areas.   NO CHARGE TO USE THE BEACH AFTER LABOR DAY!

Staff Report

TOMS RIVER-Each Tuesday in downtown Toms River, a high-stakes bidding war takes place, quietly tucked away in room 119 at the Ocean County Administrative Building.     It’s where real estate investors congregate and wage bidding wars against each other to buy foreclosed homes being sold by the banks at the lowest possible price.

Undersheriff William T. Sommeling oversees the county’s foreclosure auctions as Captain Vallarta Hill serves as auctioneer, starting each bid off at $100, most climbing to several hundred thousand dollars in minutes as bidders up the ante in $1,000 increments.

“I have three hundred,” Captain Hill said, after one investor bid 300,000 thousand dollars on a foreclosed Southern Ocean County home valued at $740,000.

“301!” shouted another investor.

After looking down at some paperwork consisting of online research, another rebutted, “302!”

Quickly another, responded with, “303!”

The initial bidder, looking annoyed by the newcomer in the bidding war quickly jumped his bid by $5,000.

In the end, the home sold for $312,000 and the next one was announced.

This time a Jackson Township home on 36 Serendipity Lane came up for bid.  As always, bidding started at $100.

The bidding was quicker and more fierce on the Jackson home.    Homes.com valued that home at $459,000 and it was sold for just $210,000.  Then another in Jackson at 210 Crescent Lane, met the same fate, selling for tens of thousands of dollars below the market range in the neighborhood.

Some show up just for the show, but others show up to offer large sums of money these foreclosed homes, sometimes far below comparative market pricing.  It’s risky business.   Potential buyers cannot pre-inspect the homes and are on the hook for any unpaid local taxes or liens.  If the home is presently occupied, those tenants become the problem of the new home owner.

Anything can happen in during a home’s lengthy foreclosure process.  Broken water pipes, vandalism, mold and other problems from lack of upkeep are always a possibility in these ventures.  Bidders may not inspect the homes prior to bidding.

Immediately after the auction, the winners must pay 20% of the final price on the spot and are required to sign the proper legal indemnification paperwork.

Don’t bring your credit cards, because at the Sheriff’s auctions, they only take cash, certified bank checks, cashier’s checks and treasurer’s checks.

Once the auction is complete, nothing is written in stone.  A homeowner has ten days to reclaim their property if they can.  In some cases, a homeowner can file for bankruptcy which would also nullify the auction if completed by the 10th day after the sale.

After a home is released to the buyer, the deed is still not guaranteed.   The new owners must pay off any liens, back-taxes or other encumbrances attached to the deed.  It is often wise to run a title search on the property before bidding.

When the property is finally in the hands of the buyer, it becomes their responsibility to evict the existing homeowner or tenants should they still occupy the home.  The eviction process can be lengthy in New Jersey and the new owner will have to pay for damage repairs and to be responsible to pay the local property taxes.

The buyer has 30 days to pay the balance of the purchase. If not, under New Jersey state law, the buyer will forfeit their deposit.

by Phil Stilton,
Toms River Magazine

TOMS RIVER-A meeting was held recently between state and local officials about future improvements to the Route 9 corridor through Toms River and Ocean County.     Route 9 is a heavily trafficked multi-lane state highway through most points north of Toms River, but in the south of Lakewood, it becomes a heavily congested single lane thoroughfare.      Driving south through Lakewood Township, traffic is often at a stand-still. During peak hours, it doesn’t get better as it winds through Toms River.

In recent traffic studies, state officials determined the Route 571 (Indian Head Road) intersection of Route 9 was the busiest in town, with 26,100 average vehicles per day on weekdays and 27,400 on Saturdays.   During the morning and evening rush hours, nearly 2,000 vehicles per hour navigate the road through Toms River.   6-7% of that traffic includes commercial trucks and buses.

The New Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) identified the Route 571 intersection, along with Cox Cro Road,  Church Road and Route 70 as two major traffic bottleneck and accident prone areas.

Toms River Councilman Maurice Hill was not happy with the options presented by the NJTPA meeting, which did not include a much-needed widening of Route 9.

“It managed to exceed even my low expectations,” Hill said of the presentation.

At the meeting, officials were given green stickers and placed them on a chart of available options in an informal vote on future projects.

Options included new sidewalks, bike paths, wider shoulders, character development and tree plantings.   Widening the road was not an available option.

After learning that Route 66 in Neptune Township was recently approved for widening, a disappointed Hill said, “Nothing about enlarging the road. Nothing for Ocean County. Once again, we’re last on the list.”

Of the options presented to the local officials, those in attendance favored pedestrian safety and the construction of sidewalks.

Other desirable items by officials were wider shoulders and improved bus stops.

The most dangerous intersections to navigate by vehicle in Toms River were Indian Head Road and Cox Cro Road, dominated by rear end and left turn crashes, while the Clover Road intersection had the most pedestrian involved crashes, due in part to residents crossing the road to access the Tri-City Plaza.

The objective of the August 18th meeting held at the Ocean County Library was to identify immediate low-cost, high impact short-term projects.

A new traffic signal on Hickory Street was also proposed as well as improvements to the Indian Head Road intersection.

Other items identified in the study were significant delays southbound towards Route 9 due to the lack of a left turn lane and delays at Whitty Road and the Tri-Town plaza traffic light.

In Ocean County, Route 9 has nearly three times as many motor vehicle crashes each year over the statewide average on other parts of the road.

This is a working story, check back later for more information and opinions from state and local officials.

LONG BEACH ISLAND-Sand dollars have been reported washed ashore along Long Beach Island and Clean Ocean Action would like to educate beachgoers on the difference between live sand dollars and their skeletons.

“Rumor has it, sand dollars have been washing ashore in LBI! When you’re walking on the beach, you may be lucky enough to find a sand dollar. What you’ll usually find is something called a test, which is the skeleton of a dead sand dollar. When they are alive, sand dollars look much different – like the one below,” Clean Ocean Action wrote on their Facebook Page.  “They are covered with short, velvety spines that may be purple, reddish brown, yellowish, gray, green or black in color. Sand dollars are animals and they deserve to be protected. If you do find a live sand dollar please return it to the ocean.”

The top photo is a live sand dollar.  The photo below is a test (skeleton) which are commonly found on New Jersey’s beaches.

Photos courtesy of Wikipedia.  Learn more about sand dollars.

Visit Clean Ocean Action’s Facebook Page.